With an offshore wind, we decided against heading out to find whales, but they found us! Three humpbacks took time-out from their southern migration to Antarctica to come into our bay for some R&R and play.

We got the full performance, with tail slaps, breeching, swimming on their sides, hoisting a fin in the air etc. Three times I had to move out of the way (local regulations restrict whale-watchers to 100 metres minimum distance, but the whales can't read) etc, and they gamboled around for over 45 minutes, in 50-60 feet of water.

Typically, my little sports camera was not too effective, but here is a frame from the 3Gb of HD video I captured.Luckily this is just the start of the season!

Well done, Tony. I'm sure that was a great experience. Be careful, though, those whales' English is poor (can't read signs about proper distances between them and humans), and they can be very protective if they have young around.

Keith

_________________2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

What a great experience to have Tony! And you will have it on film too so you can re-live it. You know Hobie might be really interested in looking at your footage as they are very fond of seeing film their kayaks and islands around sea life.Barry

What a great experience ! Getting up close and personable with those creatures gives you a perspective on how big and powerful they really are.We've been having a lot of exposures to whales here in So. Calif. also to the point of people raising alarms about humans getting too close to the whales also. But here in the U.S., it's all about taking responsibility for one's own personal actions so there's been a proposal introduced to the State legislature to have the Coast Guard track down and reprehend any whales that demonstrate aggressive behavior that may violate these rules of chance encounters of minimum distance in addition to the humans who do so also. This legislation will serve as a template for Federal and International guidelines as well as a U.N. resolution.It's about time that all species besides humans respect the law of the sea.

I hope you are joking about the Coast Guard taking any action against over-aggressive whales. Humans are the intruders, and mankind has a long way to go to make up for past slaughters.

It is estimated that in 1963, when whaling was banned in Australia, the total humpback population migrating annually along Australia's east coast was only 100. Current estimate are that about 12,000 pass by my town each way every year, with annual growth in numbers of around 11%. It is estimated that this population prior to intervention by mankind was around 32,000, so there is still a way to go. (Similar numbers travel along the west coast of the country as well...)

I hope you are joking about the Coast Guard taking any action against over-aggressive whales. Humans are the intruders, and mankind has a long way to go to make up for past slaughters.

It is estimated that in 1963, when whaling was banned in Australia, the total humpback population migrating annually along Australia's east coast was only 100. Current estimate are that about 12,000 pass by my town each way every year, with annual growth in numbers of around 11%. It is estimated that this population prior to intervention by mankind was around 32,000, so there is still a way to go. (Similar numbers travel along the west coast of the country as well...)

Yes, I had my tongue in my cheek when I posted this. Sorry if I caused you any distress.